UK CONTEMPORARY SILVER AND GOLD HALLMARKING:
HALLMARKS OF BRITISH SILVER AND GOLD

A Hallmark is now made up of three compulsory symbols with the addition of some voluntary marks.

COMPULSORY MARKS

The Sponsor's or Maker's Mark (Compulsory mark)

Indicates the maker or sponsor of the article. This mark consists of at least two letters within a shield (of various shape), and no two marks are the same.

Metal and fineness (purity) mark (Compulsory marks)

Indicates the precious metal content of the object, and that it is not less than the fineness indicated. The fineness is indicated by a millesimal number (e.g. 925 is sterling). This number is contained in a shield of oval shape for silver and of octagonal shape for gold.

SILVER

	Sterling	Britannia

GOLD

9 carat	14 carat	18 carat	22 carat

Assay Office Mark (Compulsory marks)

Indicates the particular Assay Office at which the article was tested and marked. There are now four British Assay Offices: Birmingham, Edinburgh, London and Sheffield

Birmingham	Edinburgh	London	Sheffield

VOLUNTARY MARKS

Traditional fineness (purity) mark (Voluntary marks)

Sterling      silver	Sterling silver    Scotland	Britannia     silver	Gold

Date Mark (Voluntary mark)

After 1999 a date letter indicating the year of hallmarking can be applied voluntarily in addition to the compulsory marks. The date letters are the same on the four Assay Offices.

Commemorative marks (Voluntary marks)

Examples of commemorative marks applied to precious metals by the four UK Assay Offices are the "Millennium Mark" (used during 1999 and 2000), the "Golden Jubilee Hallmark", commemorating Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee (applied during 2002), the Diamond Jubilee Hallmarks commemorating Queen's Diamond Jubilee (applied from 1 July 2011 until 1 October 2012) and the Platinum Jubilee (from 1 Novembre 2021 until 31 December 2022)

Millennium mark	Golden Jubilee Hallmark	Diamond Jubilee Hallmark	Platinum Jubilee mark

In 2023 a new commemorative mark has been designed to celebrate the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III. The King's Coronation Mark can be requested as a voluntary commemorative mark from 1 March 2023 and will be available until 31 December 2024. The mark depicts the King's head against an oval background.

British hallmarks stamped overseas

The practice of overseas hallmarking was established the UK in 2014 with UK assay offices setting up sub-offices offshore. For example the Birmingham Assay Office began stamping jewellery in India in 2016.
However, in 2018, the British Hallmarking Council decided that hallmarks struck offshore by UK assay offices should be different to those applied in the UK. Following this move discussions took place over what form the offshore mark should take. A differentiated hallmark for articles hallmarked outside the UK by Birmingham Assay Office was officially launched in April 2019.

Birmingham Assay Office overseas hallmark

THE COMMON CONTROL MARK AND CONVENTION MARKS (Alternatively to previous marks)

After the sign of the International Convention on Hallmarks (1972) the UK Assay Offices can strike the Convention Hallmark which will then be recognised by all member countries in the International Convention. Conversely, Convention Hallmarks from other member countries are legally recognised in the UK and do not have to be re-hallmarked in the UK.

Silver	Gold

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